The small community under abbot Alferio soon became the motherhouse of a prominent monastic congregation which owned vast stretches of land in southern Italy. It also had a thriving scriptorium where important scribes and artists worked. The huge library collections have largely remained intact despite destructions and suppressions and are now under the protection of the Italian State since the monastery was given the status of “National Monument”. The library contains extraordinary manuscripts, together with a collection of printed first editions and a large number of modern books.